#418 Jan Kulczyk

Deceased

#418 Jan Kulczyk

Deceased

2015 Billionaires NET WORTH

$4B

as of 3/2/15

Poland's richest individual Jan Kulczyk died suddenly in July 2015 due to complications related to minor heart surgery. He was worth $4 billion at the time, more than half of which is tied up in his stake in South African brewer SABMiller. A controversial figure, Kulczyk benefitted from Poland's privatization of state owned businesses in the 1990s. He first won a government contract to deliver cars for Poland's police and Office of State Protection. Then in 1993 he bought a stake in a previously state-owned brewery for $10 million. He later leveraged into stakes in energy and financial services firms. At one point, he faced parliamentary hearings about his role in the sale of Poland's oil giant Orlen, which included allegations of meeting a Russian spy. He denied the allegations and eventually made his holdings more transparent to avoid further accusations of shady dealings. He is survived by his son Sebastian and daughter Dominika, both of whom are already running the family's businesses. He and his ex-wife divorced in 2007.